Bill Nelson, other Democrats reach out to Puerto Ricans in Orlando

Democrat leaders, including U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, held a town hall meeting Saturday to listen to the concerns and garner the support of Puerto Ricans living in Central Floirda.

Nelson and Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, encouraged people to vote and get involved with their governments, especially at a time when states are redistricting and dealing with such big issues as high unemployment.

Nelson, who periodically spoke Spanish to the group, also discussed the state's voting-law changes that'll likely affect many working families.

"Now is the time this community ought to be concerned of adequate representation," Nelson said to the dozens who attended the town hall at the Asociación Borinqueña de Florida Central in Orlando.

In Florida, there are 847,000 Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens and eligible to vote. They make up the largest part of the Hispanic population in Central Florida. More than 300,000 live in the region.

Democrats will need the Hispanic vote if they want a chance to win Florida in 2012, said Lucy Soto, chair of the Hispanic Caucus of the Seminole County Democratic Party.

To get it, she said, they'll need to listen to their concerns, including education, foreclosure, unemployment and benefits for veterans in Puerto Rico.

State Rep. Darren Soto agreed. "It's critical that our leaders like Sen. Nelson make themselves available," theOrlando Democrat said after the meeting.

Hispanics often are concerned about multigenerational issues because they have elderly relatives living at home, said Amy Mercado, who chairs the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee.

Mercado said her parents and grandparents live at home with her, so her concerns range from Medicaid to school budgets.

"We then feel all these different layers of issues at once," she said. "Pedro Pierluisi and Sen. Nelson get that."

Betsy Franceschini, a Hispanic-outreach coordinator for the Democratic Party of Florida, said she often hears complaints there isn't enough representation on the state and federal level.

Like President Obama's recent visit to Puerto Rico, Nelson's town hall visit is a sign that politicians are taking interest in the Puerto Rican community, Franceschini said.

But if Puerto Ricans want more representation on the mainland, they'll have to work at it, Pierluisi said.

"We need to spread the word, not only about registering, but to get out and vote," he said.